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Rays add Jamie Nelson to major league coaching staff

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Press Release |

ST. PETERSBURG, FL—The Tampa Bay Rays have added Jamie Nelson to their major league coaching staff in the role of major league coach. He will assist hitting coach Derek Shelton and work with Rays catchers but will not be in uniform for games.

The 2013 season will be Nelson’s 14th in the Rays organization and first with the major league team. He spent the last five years as the Rays minor league catching coordinator. Prior to that, he managed Rookie-level Princeton (2003-07) and served as the hitting coach for Class-A Charleston (2000-02). He also managed in the independent leagues from 1994-98.

Nelson appeared in 40 games in the majors with the Seattle Mariners in 1983 and played 12 years in the minors with seven organizations including the New York Mets (1978-80), Mariners (1981-83), Milwaukee Brewers (1984-85), Kansas City Royals (1987), New York Yankees (1988), California Angels (1989) and Minnesota Twins (1990). He was a career .269 hitter with a .376 on-base percentage in the minor leagues. The Oklahoma native and his wife, Lee Ann, live in Hoover, Ala.